During the last decade a new form of punna has been increasingly practiced
in the northern part of Thailand. This punna practice is called “Pha pa
khao”. Pha pa are Thai words for “forest robe” and khao for “rice”. This
practice is adapted from the traditional one which is simply called “pha
pa”. Pha pa is a popular ceremony in Thailand where people collect money
and offer, with robe, to monks for various purposes, i.e. building vihara
or support monastic education. As for pha pa khao, rice is collected,
as well as money, in order to support rice banks or rice cooperatives
in the villages where the ceremony is held. Rice banks/ cooperatives are
created in many villagers in the north,and east, to relief poor villagers
of debt by providing them with cheap rice or rice loan with low interest.
These projects, however, could not get enough rice to help their members
in some years due to the drought. To address this problem villagers of
other villages initiated pha pa khao to raise rice and money for the affected
villages. Such practice not only helps rice banks/cooperatives to function
properly, but also raises enough fund to support other projects in the
villages, i.e. education fund for the youth, and free lunch in the schools.

Pha pa is a popular practice in Thailand because of the belief that
a lot of merit can be attained from it. In traditional pha pa, the ceremony
ends when money and robe is offered to the abbot . But in pha pa khao,
the abbot, instead of keeping the offering for monastic purposes, giving
rice and money to villagers for community projects. Thus the traditional
role of monks in community service which has been ignored for decades
is restored and strengthened. It should be noted that this practices are
intiated by villagers in surrounding area with the spirit of helping fellow
villagers who are in trouble. It therefore helps strengthen the network
of local villagers and lay the basis for cooperation among villagers in
the area. Apart from sustaining existing rice banks/cooperatives to function
properly, pha pa khao which is practiced almost every year also plays
important role in supporting the new ones in various villages.

This is an example of applying punna practice to support community work
and reduce poverty. It also promotes the attitude that helping other people
is also a practice of punna; offering dana to monks is not the only way
of punna. In fact such attitude is not new. There are many traditional
practices in the north, as well as other regions, that are based on this
attitude. “Tan tord” ,for example, is a practice where requisites or dana
(“tan”) are offered to poor people by laying (“tord”) them near their
houses and then lighting firecracker to inform the recipients. It is believed
that one can obtain merit from this practice no less than offering dana
to monks.

Unfortunately, such practice has been abandoned recently whereas offering
dana to monks still prevails. Thus the impression that punna can be obtained
only through practice and rituals which involve monks. It should be noted
that in the past offering dana to monks and the act of community service
were never separated. Pha pa, for example, did not only benefit the monks,
but also served the community. Since temple was the center of community,
utensils offered to monks, for example, were always borrowed by villagers
for feasts in various occasions; i.e. wedding, ordination, and funeral.
It is only recently that temple and village become so distant that dana
offered to monks are confined for use only in the temples. In other word,
punna involving monks is increasingly divorced from community service.

Nowadays, however, there are attempts from various groups to improve
punna practice that serves society as well as individuals. There are various
kinds of pha pa, for example. Apart from pha pa khao which supports rice
banks/cooperatives, there are also pha pa nangsue, which collects books
to support rural literacy and education. Seedlings and plants are also
collected for forest conservation through pha pa tonmai. In addition to
applying traditional ceremony for community development, there are attempts
to initiate new social activities based on the concept of punna . “Sajja
sasomsab” or savings with truthfulness is one example of the latter category.

Sajja sasomsab is another form of local saving banks where people keep
their savings and get cheap loan without resorting to commercial banks
or money lenders. What makes sajja sasomsab distinct from ordinary local
saving banks is its reliance on Buddhist virtues such as truthfulness.
Every member of sajja sasaomsab is required to keep his or her words of
truthfulness that the same amount of money will be deposited to the group
every month. This promise of truthfulness helps maintaining their commitment
to the group. Concept of punna is another principle of the groups. Members
are told that their participation in the group is the practice of punna
since their savings could be used to help people in trouble. In the process
of making decision about the loan, the priority is given to people who
are in trouble, i.e. needs the money to pay medical bills or pay tuition
of their offspring. This is another attempt to revive the traditional
virtues of compassion and generosity. In the past these virtues were so
integrated into the life of people that could be seen in every details
of their daily life, i.e. providing drinking water in front of the houses,
giving food and lodging to strangers, building shelters to travelers,
giving hands in rice harvesting and construction of houses or roads ,etc.
All these acts of cooperation were regarded as practice of punna. Sajja
sasomsab, however, has developed to another step with its systematic organization.
Rules and regulations are laid out for collective decision and transparency.
Another development is its mobilization of money instead of labour as
before. Interestingly, dajja sasomsab was initiated by a monk, Phra Subin
Paneeto,who successfully organized almost 300 groups in many provinces.
More than half of villages in his home province,Trad , have been the host
of these groups.

It should be noted that tradition belief of punna or dana has wide implications.
When Buddhadasa Bhikkhu was young, his mother taught him a mantra while
taking care of family’s paddy field that “if birds eat our rice, that
is punna. If people eat our rice, that is dana” (Thus don’t be angry with
them). Practice of punna is not only confined to monks. It can be done
with other people, including animals. Besides, dana is not limited to
giving money or things. Giving helping hands or good instructions are
also dana and punna as well.

This conclusive notion of punna is essential for creating social harmony
and well-being. It is also the basis of strong and healthy civil society.
Thus attempts have been made to create right understanding of punna as
taught by the Buddha. The Buddhist Network for Buddhism and Society is
one of the few groups in Thailand that launched campaign along this line
during the past few years.

This group started its campaign by publishing the handbook for punna
practice, “chalard tamboon” or smart punna practice. The handbook not
only introduces to reader 10 bases of meritorious actions, but also suggests
new practices of punna and dana which are beneficial to recipients and
contributes to social and spiritual well-being, i.e. being volunteers
for the disabled, giving aids to the orphanage, conserving environment,
distributing dhamma books. Alternative to conventional punna practice,
offering food to monks, are suggested for such events as birthday, wedding,
house opening, and funeral. Four aspects of well-being or development
(bhavana),i.e. physical, mental, social, and wisdom, are taken as the
basis of the handbook.

The beginning of vassa was taken as the launching event for the handbook
three years ago. It has received good response from the public and media
that many printings follow. At the moment of writing, it has been reprinted
40 times, amounting nearly 200,000 copies. The handbook is one of the
popular books chosen as the gift or souvenirs for important events like
birthday anniversary, and funeral. Most people buy this book for the reason
that the book opens their eyes about right practice of punna. It gives
them the impression that punna can be practiced any time any moment and
has nothing to do with the unintelligible ceremony. The positive response
also comes from people who are dissasstisfied with the current punna practice
which either involves wasteful rituals or being too much material-oriented.

Last year another attempt has been made along this line. A smaller and
concise handbook for punna practice has been printed, entitled “30 practices
of punna for well-being of life and society”.It has been printed with
four colours for more attracting and readable. At the end of the booklet,
addresses of non-profit organizations are printed for those who want to
do meritious act by being volunteers or donating money. Places for meditation
in various parts of the country are included for those who want spiritual
well-being. The booklet was on sale at gas stations in Bangkok one week
before the beginning of vassa. Again, the booklet became popular in a
few days. All kinds of media, such as newspaper, magazines, radio and
television programs, gave positive coverage. Seven reprints has already
been made, totalling 200,000 copies. The fact that both handbooks are
still in demand reflect the enthusiasm of modern people to know and participate
in the creative punna practice that contributes to well beings of individual
and society. In other word they need alternative to the conventional practice
that is wasteful, ritualistic and materialistic which get along easily
with consumerism.

After successful campaign for the right attitude of punna three consecutive
years, the Buddhist Network for Buddhism and Society this year wants to
go a further step toward concrete social action, i.e. persuading Thai
people to do voluntary work as practice of punna during the vassa. Many
non-governmental organizations are participating in this project which
selects the issues of children as the central theme of the campaign. Officials
in big private companies are chosen as target group of this campaign.
Thousands of volunteers are expected to be recruited from the private
sector to participate in various projects aimed to improve the quality
of children on different aspects, i.e. education, environment, media,
social welfare and human rights. This campaign not only aims to create
new attitude of punna and dana among Thai public, but also wishes to create
voluntary movement based on the concept of punna which is still weak.
It is also designed to revive the concept of punna as the cultural force
for social well-being, instead of limiting itself in the temple or religious
rituals.

Though social movement motivated by punna is not well established, there
are a lot of individuals committed in social activities based on the concept
of punna. In addition to teaching and helping the poor children, some
are involved actively in restoring environment. The most notable one is
a police who has already planted no less than two million trees along
the roads and public space. According to him “planting trees is the best
punna practice which lasts forever and benefits every people for generations”.
His initiative during the past 15 years has transformed a district previously
well known for the drought and dry into a green area covered by various
local trees. Reforestation and natural conservation is increasingly a
popular form of punna practice which has been developed to “tree ordination”
in some places.

Interestingly, punna practice in Thailand is now developed into cordiality
between animals. There are a lot of people willing to allow his or her
dogs to take part in blood donation which is very necessary for operation
of other dogs. Many dog owners told that they wanted their pets to do
meritious action. Some of them believed that this action will help their
beloved blood to be reborn as human being in the next life.

Given 10 bases of punna practice, one can see that punna is essential
to all aspects of well-being,( physical, social, mental and wisdom),on
both levels of individual and society. Everytime dana is offered properly,
it not only reduces personal selfishness, but also contributes to social
harmony and peace. This also applies to other 9 bases of punna. If punna
is misunderstood, however, one’s practice tends to be Brahmanistic offering
for divine blessing (yajna-karma) or capitalistic-motivated exchange for
more profit.

The culture of punna is still powerful and has a lot of potential for
social reconstruction especially in countries where Buddhism prevails.
Unless punna is rightly understood and practiced properly in current context,
however, its potential couldn’t be actualized for the welfare of all.